The project proposed by a US-based company promoted by Alfred B Ford was cleared by the Congress government last year in controversial circumstances.
The $350mn scheme was cleared by the previous Congress govt
SHIMLA: The $350mn ski village project in Himachal Pradesh, billed to be the biggest foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country, seems to have run into an avalanche after chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said it was not acceptable to the state government in its present form.
The project proposed by a US-based company promoted by Alfred B Ford was cleared by the Congress government last year in controversial circumstances. Work on it, however, was stalled at the behest of the high court after a public interest plea was moved against the project.
“We will take into account all aspects, including the clearance granted by the defence ministry and the union environment ministry,” said Dhumal, wondering why international bidding was not called for the project and its environmental impact not assessed.
“We favour FDIs, but not at the cost of the state’s interests,” the chief minister said, putting the ambitious project in jeopardy.
The project, comprising a variety of ski slopes, three five-star hotels with 700 rooms, 300 Swiss-style chalets, a 2,420-seat food court and a handicrafts village, is to come up at a height of 14,000 feet near the resort town of Manali. A base camp also is to be developed with parking space for 1,000 vehicles. From there, hi-tech gondolas will ferry 500 passengers every hour to the village.
Ford, the great grandson of the legendary Henry Ford, had visited the project site last year. The Himalayan Ski Village Company floated by him had proposed to buy around 140 hectares of land from private parties and another five hectares for the ski slopes from the government on a 99-year lease.
“First, we plan to hold international ski tournaments and are aiming to hold nothing less than the Winter Olympics,” Himalayan Ski Village Company managing director John Sims had observed last year, soon after the cabinet of the Congress government led by chief minister Virbhadra Singh gave the nod to the project.
The project, however, was disapproved by locals as it involved large-scale environmental disturbances in the serene hill tops close to Manali. The local oracle in Kullu, which enjoys widespread esteem and faith among people, had also turned down the project saying it was against the interest of the locals.
b_ajay@dnaindia.net
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